Monday, February 14, 2011

A Twist Of Noir 661 - Kathleen A. Ryan

HEAT OF PASSION - KATHLEEN A. RYAN

As a rookie cop and a newlywed, Doug swore he’d never face the “bimbo-basement” dilemma.

Fifteen years later, however, while driving home on a sweltering night after a weekend tryst, he recalled the warning uttered by his salty field training officer: “Every married cop who chases tail or fools around with a relief point bimbo eventually faces the same fate. The old lady finds out, gets the house, the kids, and eventually collects half his pension. The cop ends up living in a dingy basement apartment — it’s all he can afford!”

To illustrate his point, the old-timer had held out his palms to imitate a balancing scale. “You must weigh your options,” he advised, raising his hands like a seesaw and repeating, “Bimbo. Basement. Bimbo. Basement.”

Doug listened to Porter Wagoner sing, “The Cold Hard Facts of Life,” and chuckled — as he, too, was heading home a day earlier than his wife expected — although he wasn’t stopping for any champagne first.

The ominous-looking clouds darkened the moonlit sky. The humidity reminded Doug why he vacations every August (besides, of course, spending time with his kids): when the mercury rises, so does crime. People get heat aggravation, and tempers flare.

Doug spotted an unfamiliar pickup in his driveway and assumed it belonged to one of his wife’s friends. He parked on the street near the honeysuckle bushes, which filled the stagnant air with its sweet scent. The steady churning of window air conditioners in the distance couldn’t muffle the repetitive chirping of crickets.

Approaching the shiny red Ford, he realized the engine was running. The passenger door flew open. His wife, half-naked, tumbled out and screamed, “Rape!”

The driver pulled into reverse.

Emotions raw, the veteran cop fired his Glock towards the fleeing felon, who crashed into the split-rail fence. Doug jumped into the truck, reached over the slumped body, and threw the vehicle into park.

He glanced at the perp’s face — and gasped.

“Jesse? What the — ?” Doug frantically searched for a pulse on the lifeless body of his former partner.

“My head is spinning,” Doug said. We’ve lost one of our own — and it’s my fault.”

“The grand jury may not see it that way; however, Tammy is probably looking at time for involuntary manslaughter. I need to get a statement from you. Who’s with the kids?”

“My neighbor’s inside, but my sister’s on the way.”

“Crime Scene will take photos and bag your clothes. When I’m done here, I’ll notify Jesse’s wife. Have a uniform drive you to Headquarters — I’ll meet you there.”

“Thanks, Tom.”

Drenched in sweat and blood, Doug went into the house to gather clothes.

*

“They’re still asleep,” his elderly neighbor said.

“Thanks for coming over to watch the kids, I appreciate it.”

“Your kids are like grandkids to me. Call anytime,” she said before leaving.

Doug called his girlfriend, using the prepaid cell phones he had bought for them.

“I have good news and great news,” Doug whispered.

“What’s the good news?” she asked.

“My wife won’t be contesting the divorce.”

“Terrific! Now, what could possibly trump that?” she asked.

“You can call off the hit man.”

BIO: Kathleen A. Ryan is a retired 21 year veteran of the Suffolk County Police Department on Long Island. She blogs at Women Of Mystery and is working on a true crime memoir. Her story, ‘Playing with Matches’ was published in W.W. Norton’s Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories 25 Words or Fewer, Edited by Robert Swartwood, November 2010.

Okay, Mz. Ryan you owe me a neck brace. When the twist came, I thought OW! and then settled down to enjoy the fade out in peace and then you slipped the second one in and OW!OW!OW! I should have suspected it though. You Ryans have always been a troublesome bunch. Ryan's Hope, Saving Private Ryan, Ryan Seacrest, Nolan Ryan . . . there's more (Ryan More to be exact) and I'm keeping an eye on your all. Especially the redheaded female ones. Great story!

Jane, So glad you enjoyed it! The "bimbo-basement" thing is very real, many cops have fallen prey to it! The Porter Wagoner song is like country "noir," isn't it?

Paul, Thanks! Yep, a double :-) Thanks for reading!

Sean, Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and leave a comment ~ I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it!

Charles, Four evil chuckles ~ I'm so honored :-)

Chris, Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!

Kevin, Thanks so much! I'm honored to have a story on ATON, and to be in such company with you, Christopher, Kieran, Charlie, and U.V. in this most recent posting. "No Tears For Crying" is a tragic tale, deftly told. (BTW, I'm a huge Springsteen fan, since 1974, when I was in Jr HS, and luckily, my friend had older siblings who had discovered Bruce. The 1st time I saw him was Dec. 1980 @ Nassau Coliseum during The River tour...he played 2 1/2 hrs, took a 1/2 hr break, and did 2 more hrs. ~ awesome!)

AJ, I love your comment, AJ ~ I'm LOL. I'll start researching neck braces for you:-) That's cute about the Ryan bunch...I was a Ryan's Hope fan back in the day. Did you ever watch it? I'll never forget how good Will Patton was. The cast was great. Thanks for reading & commenting!

Patti, I'm in awe of your talent, and your kind words mean the world to me. I'm thrilled to be in DISCOUNT NOIR, and it's thanks to you and your fantastic flash fiction challenge :-) Thanks!

Hilary, I'm a huge Hilary Davidson fan, and I can only dream of writing short crime fiction like you. Thanks for your kind words, girlfriend!

Gary, Funny you bring up the crickets: I slipped them in for another reason besides a summertime staple: 1) as the temp rises, their chirping increases. 2) the males calling song is to attract females and repel other males; an aggressive song is triggered when they sense the presence of another male...and a copulatory song is produced after a successful mating; there's even a "look out" song to warn others when danger is near...isn't that neat? End of cricket lesson! Thanks for reading & commenting!

Charlie, Thanks for taking the time to read "Heat of Passion." I'm so happy you liked it!

Kieran, I'm tickled that you got a chuckle! "Sick Call" is terrific...I'm thrilled to have a story in the same set as you :-)

For those who may be interested in reading it, my story was inspired by a true event in which a Texas man came home early & his wife jumped out of the truck and yelled rape; the grand jury REFUSED to indict the shooter, and INSISTED on indicting the woman; the DA's office had to put a case together against her. Here's a link:http://www.star-telegram.com/2008/05/05/623920/arlington-mom-who-cried-rape-gets.html

Also, if you are not familiar with Porter Wagoner's classic that fit so nicely in my story, it is SO worth the viewing, and the ending's a shocker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl4yjGzWOvI

I especially love, "I drank a fifth of courage..."

Thanks again to our host, Christopher Grant, for the wonderful opportunity to participate in the "600-700 challenge."

Chubby Checker couldn't have done a "Double Twist" any better. "Heat of Passion" is beautifully written, artful, and like its compact author, demonstrates how great things can be found in short stories.

I wasn't sure who to feel sorry for, then I realized there shouldn't be any sympathy for any of them. Then, your ending? Well, that knocked me right out of the park. What a terrific twist! Great story.

Hi Joyce, I agree ~ there wasn't anyone to feel sorry for (except the innocent kids, of course). And Doug? Well, he swore he'd never face the bimbo-basement dilemma...and in the end, he didn't. Thanks for reading my story and commenting ~ I appreciate it.

I am thrilled that Jane Hammons has listed HEAT OF PASSION among her "Five You Can't Miss" from 2011; her list appears on Chris Rhatigan's "Death by Killing" blog. Here's a link to her list:http://death-by-killing.blogspot.com/2011/12/five-you-cant-miss-jane-hammons.html?showComment=1325036431551#c7143220131849108219Thanks again to Christopher Grant for giving my story a home at A TWIST OF NOIR.

I'm deeply honored that "Heat of Passion" is among the finalists for the 2012 Derringer Award's "Best Flash Fiction Story," which was announced today by the Short Mystery Fiction Society:http://shortmystery.blogspot.com/2012/02/2012-short-mystery-fiction-society.htmlThanks to everyone for sharing in the excitement of this fantastic news! I'm so grateful to Christopher Grant for posing the "600 to 700" challenge, accepting "Heat of Passion," and to all the volunteer SMFS judges who gave so generously of their time to read all of the eligible stories and decide the five finalist stories. Thanks also to Gwen Mayo, Derringer Coordinator 2012.

This story is like The Little Engine That Could! I learned today that the Mystery Readers International and the subscribers to the Mystery Journal have nominated "Heat of Passion" for a 2012 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Short Story! The winner will be announced at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland during Bouchercon this fall. Thanks again to Christopher for the 600-700 Challenge, which led to the writing of this story ~ and for his acceptance on the fabulous site, "A Twist of Noir."Here's the announcement: http://j.mp/MKZzjL

(BTW, The Best Flash Fiction Story for the 2012 Derringer Award went to Allan Leverone for "Lessons Learned" which appeared on SHOTGUN HONEY).

To follow up, the 2012 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Short Story was awarded to Dana Cameron for "Disarming." It was an honor to be in the running with Dana, as well as fellow nominees Barb Goffman, Trina Corey, Daryl Wood Gerber, and Peter Turnbull, and to attend the Bouchercon 2012 Opening Night ceremonies at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on October 4, where the Macavity Awards were presented. It was awesome recognition for A TWIST OF NOIR, too! Congrats, Christopher :-)